6 Food You Need To Try When In Sri Lanka

The Pearl of Indian Ocean, the gorgeous nation of Sri Lanka has a plethora of rich and spicy food to offer. Sri Lankans make generous use of the locally available fruits and spices to make aromatic and mouth-watering foods. Apart from the quintessential platter of rice and curry, the Sri Lankan cuisine has a lot more to offer.

Here is a list of 6 must try foods of Sri Lanka to tingle your taste buds

* Fish ambul thiyal (sour fish curry)

Fish ambul thiyal (sour fish curry) is one of the most beloved varieties of the many different fish curries available.Fish fillet is cut into cubes, then sautéed in a blend of spices including black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, pandan leaves and curry leaves. Perhaps the most important ingredient is dried goraka, a small fruit responsible for giving the fish a sour flavour. It is a dry curry dish, meaning all the ingredients are simmered with a small amount of water and cooked until the liquid reduces. As a result, you get delectable serving with each cube of fish coated with spice mixture.

* Kottu (also, kottu roti)

Kottu is Sri Lanka's fast food.It resembles fried rice, except instead of rice, it's made with a type of roti known as godamba roti (a flat, crispy bread). Kottu chefs fry and chop the roti with a selection of ingredients you choose. The result is a tasty mixture of salty pieces of fried dough, lightly spiced and extremely comforting.Kottu is generally served with spicy curry sauce, which you can either use as a dip or pour over your entire plate.

* Kukul mas curry (chicken curry)

Chicken curry is a common household dish in Sri Lanka. There are many variations depending on region and taste preferences.Spices like fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks are tempered in hot oil before being combined with chicken and spices like chili powder, curry powder, turmeric, pandan leaves, lemongrass and curry leaves.Coconut milk contributes to the rich base of the curry gravy. Depending on the recipe, a puree of tomato is often included. Generally, the curry is stewed and served with hot rice and roti.

* Lamprais

Lamprais, a word that combines the two Dutch words for "lump" and "rice," is a combination of meat, rice and sambol chili sauce, wrapped into a banana leaf packet and steamed.A scoop of rice is placed in the centre of a banana leaf, along with the mixed meat curry, two frikkadels (Dutch-style beef balls), blachan (a shrimp paste) and a starch or vegetable, usually either ash plantain or egg plants.The package is folded into a parcel and steamed.

* Pol Sambol (coconut relish)

Pol sambol, which might also be called fresh coconut relish, is a simple blend of finely grated coconut, red onions, dried whole chilies or chili powder, lime juice, salt and Maldive fish (if available). The ingredients are diced or ground, then combined in a bowl.In Sri Lanka, pol sambol is used as a garnish or side dish for everything and anything.

* Wood apple

The wood apple is a Southeast Asian fruit about the size of a de-husked coconut. It also has just as hard of a shell, and a pungent aroma.Inside the shell is a dark brown paste that resembles something between tamarind pulp and fermented raisins.Wood apple can be eaten directly out of the shell, but one of the most popular ways to eat (or drink) it throughout Sri Lanka is in a thick smoothie, known as wood apple juice.